straw.”
“No, not suicide,” she told him. “There was only one bullet used from his gun, and that was to put the horse down when she broke her forelegs.”
“That’s…that’s good. I hate to think he’d… Have you contacted the funeral home yet? I’d like to know when the services are.”
“There’s been a lot to process since I arrived today.” A hell of a lot. Tessa couldn’t believe she’d been here less than a day. The impact hit her low in the gut. “Besides, there’s little we can do on a Sunday. As accommodating as the Simpkisses are, even they would be reluctant to open the funeral home on a Sunday.” They took the day of worship very seriously.
“We were going to talk about that tonight.” Rex pressed his hand against her back. Calm seeped into her muscles. “After Tito’s visit this morning, we were beyond upset when he suggested Derek died under suspicious circumstances. He even started to point his finger at us.”
Robert snorted. “One thing I’ve learned from working ER is that Tito Llano is nothing but bullshit. Don’t let him push your buttons.”
Was Robert scolding them? Tessa’s hackles rose. Not because he was doing so, but because he was right.
The doctor clenched his fist on his thigh. “And it galls me to no end that I have to report Nate’s arrow wound to him. He’s going to be like a dog with a bone, trying to dig up something that may or may not exist.”
Like the dead horse? A murder that didn’t exist? Fabricating that information didn’t explain the attempt on Nate’s life.
“He needs a big score for next year’s election. Someone needs to seriously run against him,” Robert added. “Even Derek threatened to do so after watching Tito work the crowd at Dog Days last week. I swear, Derek could be such a contradiction. Upbeat and ready to conquer the world one day. Depressed and ready to give up the next.”
“Do you think Derek took his own life?” Yeah, Tessa asked the question out loud. In light of this new information, that was plausible. Derek had watched his mother die a slow and painful death due to cancer. He wouldn’t have wanted the same for himself.
Her question seemed to weigh Robert down. Guilt etched his weary face. “I honestly don’t know.” He scrubbed his hand over his eyes. “Trust me…no one wants that autopsy report more than me.”
Tessa would argue that. As bad as it was for Derek, and she knew it was bad, she didn’t want to think he’d committed suicide. But then, she never would have believed he’d keep something like this—cancer—from her either.
Why not? You made yourself very clear you wanted nothing more to do with any of them . Yes, and she was regretting it more and more with every passing second.
Chapter Eight
How was it possible to feel exhausted, yet have his insides coiled so tight Tyler thought they’d explode? He’d locked himself rigidly in place during the ride back. The stench of blood sickened him. It saturated the entire rear area of the vehicle.
Tyler allowed himself a quiet huff. Was there any place in the vehicle not smeared with blood? It looked like they’d butchered a hog in here.
“Shit, I didn’t realize how late it was.”
Tyler wasn’t sure if Rex was talking to them or to himself. The hour was pretty clear. The schedule at Rustlers right on time. He could smell the wood smoke the minute Rex pulled through the gate. The band they’d hired was setting up on the makeshift stage. The rest of their crew were working the grills, stacking up the plates and utensils, checking the wooden tables and benches for splinters. A few guests wandered around, taking pictures. Over toward the corral, Brett helped settle the horses after a long day, giving each a pat on the rump before setting it off in the adjacent pasture for some leisure time.
“There’s no way we’re going to be able to slip into the barn to get that arrow out of your quiver without the guests seeing us,” Rex
“No, not suicide,” she told him. “There was only one bullet used from his gun, and that was to put the horse down when she broke her forelegs.”
“That’s…that’s good. I hate to think he’d… Have you contacted the funeral home yet? I’d like to know when the services are.”
“There’s been a lot to process since I arrived today.” A hell of a lot. Tessa couldn’t believe she’d been here less than a day. The impact hit her low in the gut. “Besides, there’s little we can do on a Sunday. As accommodating as the Simpkisses are, even they would be reluctant to open the funeral home on a Sunday.” They took the day of worship very seriously.
“We were going to talk about that tonight.” Rex pressed his hand against her back. Calm seeped into her muscles. “After Tito’s visit this morning, we were beyond upset when he suggested Derek died under suspicious circumstances. He even started to point his finger at us.”
Robert snorted. “One thing I’ve learned from working ER is that Tito Llano is nothing but bullshit. Don’t let him push your buttons.”
Was Robert scolding them? Tessa’s hackles rose. Not because he was doing so, but because he was right.
The doctor clenched his fist on his thigh. “And it galls me to no end that I have to report Nate’s arrow wound to him. He’s going to be like a dog with a bone, trying to dig up something that may or may not exist.”
Like the dead horse? A murder that didn’t exist? Fabricating that information didn’t explain the attempt on Nate’s life.
“He needs a big score for next year’s election. Someone needs to seriously run against him,” Robert added. “Even Derek threatened to do so after watching Tito work the crowd at Dog Days last week. I swear, Derek could be such a contradiction. Upbeat and ready to conquer the world one day. Depressed and ready to give up the next.”
“Do you think Derek took his own life?” Yeah, Tessa asked the question out loud. In light of this new information, that was plausible. Derek had watched his mother die a slow and painful death due to cancer. He wouldn’t have wanted the same for himself.
Her question seemed to weigh Robert down. Guilt etched his weary face. “I honestly don’t know.” He scrubbed his hand over his eyes. “Trust me…no one wants that autopsy report more than me.”
Tessa would argue that. As bad as it was for Derek, and she knew it was bad, she didn’t want to think he’d committed suicide. But then, she never would have believed he’d keep something like this—cancer—from her either.
Why not? You made yourself very clear you wanted nothing more to do with any of them . Yes, and she was regretting it more and more with every passing second.
Chapter Eight
How was it possible to feel exhausted, yet have his insides coiled so tight Tyler thought they’d explode? He’d locked himself rigidly in place during the ride back. The stench of blood sickened him. It saturated the entire rear area of the vehicle.
Tyler allowed himself a quiet huff. Was there any place in the vehicle not smeared with blood? It looked like they’d butchered a hog in here.
“Shit, I didn’t realize how late it was.”
Tyler wasn’t sure if Rex was talking to them or to himself. The hour was pretty clear. The schedule at Rustlers right on time. He could smell the wood smoke the minute Rex pulled through the gate. The band they’d hired was setting up on the makeshift stage. The rest of their crew were working the grills, stacking up the plates and utensils, checking the wooden tables and benches for splinters. A few guests wandered around, taking pictures. Over toward the corral, Brett helped settle the horses after a long day, giving each a pat on the rump before setting it off in the adjacent pasture for some leisure time.
“There’s no way we’re going to be able to slip into the barn to get that arrow out of your quiver without the guests seeing us,” Rex
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